New Desktop Metal Printers

Here at CADimensions we are always striving to provide our customers the best solutions for their design and manufacturing needs. That is why we are very excited to announce the new addition to our 3D Printer product line with our new partnership with the highly anticipated Desktop Metal 3D Printer!

If you are not familiar with who Desktop Metal is they are a new 3D Printing company based out of Boston, MA whose goal is to redefine the metal 3D Printing world. With over $100 million in funding from companies like Google, GE and even Stratasys, our long time 3D Printer Partner, they have been able to bring to market a new system that is set to revolutionize the metal 3D Printing industry. So what is it that separates Desktop Metal from the rest of metal 3D printing world?

The Process:
One of the first things that separates Desktop Metal from the rest is its process. The technology that their Studio System uses is based on the MIM (Metal Injection Molding) process. Instead of using a bed of powder, which is commonly found among the metal 3D Printers currently on the market, the Studio system utilizes compressed rods of various metals that are extruded in a process that is very similar to that of plastic FDM printers. By utilizing this process they have been able to create an office friendly and affordable metal 3D Printer.

Once the part has finished printing the next step is a visit to the debinder station that removes the separation binder prior to sintering. The sintering process occurs in the office friendly industrial furnace from Desktop. The furnace uses both conventional and enhanced microwave heating elements which uniformly heats the parts to just below their melting point, removing the binder and fusing the metal particles together to form fully dense parts without the residual stresses that are common in laser based systems.

The final step in this process is the support removal. This is again another area that Desktop Metal shines. With traditional Metal 3D Printers support removal is often done using traditional manufacturing tools to machine off the metal supports. With Desktop Metals technology supports are removed by hand quickly and easily!

What else separates Desktop from the rest of the market besides its office friendly, easy to use and safe process? The cost!

Cost:
The metal 3D printing market has always faced one major hurdle with being more widely used. The cost. Most traditional Metal systems start in the high six figures. With a Desktop Metal Studio system you can get everything you need, the system, debinder, and furnace for $120,000! A fraction of what traditional metal machines cost. This is not the only area that customers will find cost savings. The ongoing material cost for running a Studio system is up to 80% cheaper when compared to its metal counterparts. How is this possible? The answer is quite simple actually in the fact that metal laser printers require powder metal that has a uniform shape and size to ensure high quality builds, which drives the cost up. With Desktop Metal’s technology the shape and uniformity of the metal powder does not matter which enables them to have a much lower cost.
So what’s next for Desktop Metal & CADimensions? The Studio system, which will begin shipping this fall, is just the first system for Desktop Metal. On the horizon is a new production level metal system that is set to be 100x faster than any laser based metal system on the market. This product is set to be released in late 2018.

Here at CADimensions we are already making plans in our CAD FabLab in our Syracuse Headquarters to add our Studio system in the fall of this year. Stay tuned for more info on live demos and an open house once the new system arrives. If you would like to learn more don’t hesitate to give us a call today!